Lincoln coach Gragnani dies

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Lincoln High School boys’ basketball coach Mike Gragnani died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack according to school and CIF-San Francisco Section officials.

Gragnani was in his fifth year at the helm of the Lincoln boys’ program, but prior to that, spent time as the coach at Berkeley High School and Redwood High School in Larkspur, and also served as an assistant coach at St. Ignatius.Lincoln was set to play Mission in both teams’ Academic Athletic Association opener today, but the game has been postponed. Lincoln athletic director Kenyatta Scott was still unsure about any postponements after today.

Frosh-soph coach Matt Jackson will take over coaching duties for the varsity team once the Mustangs begin play again.

Many details are still unavailable and plans for funeral services have not been set, but the news has already had a substantial impact on the San Francisco prep community.

“I’ve known Mike for 20 years, well before he began coaching for [Lincoln], from coaching 6-year-old kids to 50-year-old men,” San Francisco Section commissioner Don Collins said.

Wallenberg coach Patrick Mulligan has known Gragnani since their time as students at St. Ignatius. Mulligan was a freshman student manager while Gragnani was a senior on the baseball and basketball teams.

“He was a really good guy, a family man and he was terribly dedicated to the craft of being a basketball coach,” Mulligan said.

Last week, Gragnani was scouting the Bears in the Sand Dune Classic at St. Ignatius, preparing for the league opener.

“We kind of came into the league at the same time, but a couple of years ago he was thinking about walking away, and we had an hour-long conversation about it. I tried to convince him not to go and how much he means to the league and to The City,” Mission coach Arnold Zelaya said. “I told my kids, ‘San Francisco high school sports took a big hit today.’”

Durning his time with the Mustangs, Gragnani had a 89-61 record.

Preps sports coverage provided in partnership by The San Francisco Examiner and www.SanFranPreps.com